My son Michael is 12 years-old, and he has moyamoya.  He wants to begin playing a new musical instrument, and his music teacher suggested the tuba.  Michael is also considering the trombone, trumpet, and French Horn.  I know that it can be dangerous for people with moyamoya to play some instruments, but I don't know which ones.  I think  I remember reading that instruments that cause/require hyperventilation are dangerous -- but I don't know which instruments these are.  Can anyone help us out and provide any information?  

Thank you, Patti

hey... i play quite a few instruments.. i would strongly advise against any woodwind or horns though, i used to play the clarinet but i won't go anywhere near it now.... i do play the bass guitar though, everyday, and acoustic guitars, piano, drums etc.... i'd suggest something stringed or hands on... but i'm wary of anything you gotta blow too hard into.. hyperventilation, strain on little mm vessels.... especially with the tuba or trumpet...

still if he has his heart set on something i'd be checking it through with your surgeon..

I agree with the above.  Don't play anything that takes too much air. For 8 years I played flute and clarinet... I kept switching instruments within the woodwind family (to other clarinet versions or various saxes and so on...) thinking I just couldn't use as much air as the flute required or my arm was bad (sometimes ppl say it takes more air than a tuba, I'm not sure. It definitely requires more than say trumpet and clarinet... My MM symptoms were almost always equivalent to TIA symptoms everyday after sitting in class and everyday after practicing or marching.  I spent half of my day miserable trying to figure out why I couldn't walk.  It was all for the love of music... Now that I know, I'd advise against others pushing.  I terribly miss my woodwinds and other instruments, but it's for the better.

Dr. Masaki Komyama, Japan, has an informative website - http://www003.upp.so-net.ne.jp/moya-moya/

One of his cautions is MM patients should not blow instruments.

Probably should not blow balloons or blowup toys either.
Best,
Roni
rolsen64@aol.com

I play viola in my school orchestra and I think, as some people have already said, string instruments should be fine. Of course, some people might think of it as a dorky sort of instrument to play, but it's worked out well for me. I don't really have any symptoms while playing the viola.

Roni wrote on Sep 21^st, 2006 at 6:30pm:

Probably should not blow balloons or blowup toys either.

yep very much agreed.. haha one of my mum's friends bought me a "balloon-pump" that she found at an op shop because she thought it was very sad that i couldn't blow up balloons...

shucks i too have played both trumpet and sax, a long time ago, but now w/being recently dx i dare not to.  but i must admit to weight lifting which is my passion and hmm dunno if i can give that up.

mucho alohaz
brandie

I would be cautious playing any instrament that you have to do controled or lost of breathing. I might ask you doctor if your son has the lung capasity for it, if his pasion is on that type of instament group. I whould sugest to him the "manlyer" string instament ( ie. stand up Bass, bass gituar, gituar) or precution and see what he thinks. What does he play now?

Becky

ntrlpwr wrote on Jan 4^th, 2007 at 8:04pm:

shucks i too have played both trumpet and sax, a long time ago, but now w/being recently dx i dare not to.  but i must admit to weight lifting which is my passion and hmm dunno if i can give that up. mucho alohaz brandie

just a note on this one... do you do actual "weightlifting" - as in the olympic sport? or just general lifting of weights, ie. at the gym...?
cause if you're referring to weightlifting the sport, i'd highly reccomend reconsidering how important it is to you.. i used to be a weightlifter and i was sternly advised to not take it up again.... huge pressures on the blood vessels to during a lift..

yup emily i do powerlift,
i'm a national and international lifter, but yes i know i may have to give it up, but haha maybe not or at least dream about it.  but then again lifting and cardio may have put my symptoms off because of the development of larger vessels.  weightlifters vs runners have been compared and the weightlifters vessels and heart could pump more blood and created larger vessels than a runner.  oh well i've got lots more to learn about this disease, just a little input from the peanut gallery.  

mucho alohaz
brandie

Hello everyone!
It's been a while since I've been on this site.  Our Taylor (now 7) had her follow-up in November w/Steinberg and is doing super!  She has 60% new blood flow after 7 months post-op.  Her other side is not ready for surgery yet and we will have to go back w/in a year to check it again.

During our appt with Steinberg, we had asked about wind instruments since Taylor wants to play the sax!  She's been wanting to play it since she was 6.  Dr. Steinberg said that it should be no problem for her to try wind instruments.  I am confused now!  Who told you that wind instruments are forbidden?  It seems logical that hyperventillating may cause a problem, but Dr. Steinberg said that it wouldn't be a problem.

Because of her passion for the sax, I have found an instructor that is willing to give her a try on Wednesday.  I am a little hesitant now...

Please let me know where all of you got your information.

Thank you.  MaryAnn

Hi Maryann!  [smiley=wave.gif]

The way I understand it is… it’s an individual thing and would depend if you experience TIA’s or not. (Which some do even after surgery) In Taylor’s case, like you said, she had bypass surgery and has good blood flow to the brain, therefore less likely to have a TIA, but some MM patients are at risk or experience TIA’s, so blowing into an instrument can possibly cause hyperventilation, which further causes constriction of the arteries to the brain, which puts you at a higher risk for creating or causing a TIA, and there lies the danger for some. But who’s to say Taylor will hyperventilate. Your daughter had the best MM expert in the world treating her (IMO) and if he says she can play, he would NEVER put her at risk. I wouldn’t be hesitant, but rather like you said, use common sense or if you feel better, simply tell her if she gets dizzy or any tingling to please stop.

I don’t have MM but I played a clarinet/sax for years and never once hyperventilated. Tell her if she learns to play the Sax, I’d sure love to hear her play the song “Lily was here” That Sax is awesome, it drives me crazy!! I love it!!!

Many good thoughts are with you and Taylor…

Mar

2 neuros told me no... They weren't MM specialists, but considering the number of TIAs I have had before and after it would be best in my case not to play any wind instruments.  Sax is  nothing compared to flute as far as air. I had 2 TIAs a day for 5 years straight and then switched to clari and sax and they dropped to maybe 3 or 4 a week for a few years.  I guess I"m lucky to be alive with that.  This was all before doctors knew what was wrong. They claimed I had nerve damage in my arm which caused flute problems. I knew otherwise since clarinet and sax gave me the same problems just slightly less.

Good luck!!!  Justs be cautious and all will be fine